by Roy J. Snell
CHAPTER XII.
MR. PETERS' MISHAP.
On the morning after Mr. Peters had announced his intention of savingwhat he could in the way of timbers and rigging from the wreck, Sidneywent on duty with Captain Eph, and instead of going to bed when hiswatch was ended, the first assistant remained in the room until thekeeper asked sharply:
"What's the matter with you now, Sammy? Ain't you goin' to bed?"
"I want'er start for the wreck at the first crack of light, if UncleZenas will give me somethin' to eat when he gets up, an' there's nosense in goin' to the trouble of lyin' down jest for a half-hour nap.I'll turn in a good bit earlier to-night."
"Have your own way, Sammy, but I'm afraid that you won't get enough fromthe hulk to pay for the labor you're puttin' out. Why didn't you speakto Uncle Zenas last night, so's he'd kind'er stir his stumps thismornin'?"
"He had his back raised so high because I was goin' alone, that I knewit wouldn't be any use, an,' feelin' kind'er warm as he was, he might'ersaid 'no' right up an' down," Mr. Peters replied with a faint smile.
Captain Eph did not continue the conversation, but turned his attentionto the work of cleaning the watch-room windows, which Sidney hadvoluntarily taken upon himself, and Mr. Peters dozed in his chair untilawakened by the movements of Uncle Zenas in the room below, which toldthat he was making ready for the day's work.
"I reckon I'll be off now," the first assistant said, going toward thestairway as if almost afraid to descend.
"Uncle Zenas hasn't built the fire yet," Captain Eph said carelessly,"an' it'll be a good half hour before the coffee is ready."
"I don't count on waitin' for anything hot," Mr. Peters replied as hebegan the descent of the stairs. "A cold bite is all I'm askin' for,'cause the sooner I get away the better."
"If that was all you wanted, the wisest course would have been to got itwithout askin' leave of anybody," Captain Eph said half to himself, andthen he tiptoed his way to the head of the stairs.
"What is the matter?" Sidney asked curiously.
"Nothin' as yet, Sonny; but I'm allowin' that Sammy won't find it allplain sailin' when he runs up against Uncle Zenas. The old man is prettystuffy when he gets a notion inter his head, an' for some reason orother he's dead set against our tryin' to save anything from the wreck."
Captain Eph had not yet ceased speaking when loud, almost angryconversation could be heard from the kitchen, and Sidney ran quickly tothe keeper's side. It was impossible to distinguish any words spoken inthe kitchen, however, and, two or three moments later, the emphaticclosing of the outer door told that Mr. Peters had left the tower.
"Uncle Zenas wouldn't give him anything to eat until breakfast time, an'the poor, foolish fellow has gone off with an empty stomach, countin' ondoin' a full day's work," Captain Eph said as he went to the window fromwhich it was possible to have a view of the little cove. "I do wish ourcook wasn't quite so crotchety!"
"Why didn't Mr. Peters take what he wanted from the pantry?" Sidneyasked as he joined the keeper at the window.
"Then there _would_ have been trouble," Captain Eph replied as ifstartled by such a bold proposition. "It has taken me a good many yearsto find out that when Uncle Zenas gets reg'larly set against a thing,the most peaceable way is for Sammy an' me to give in at the start."
Then the two stood gazing through the window, unable to distinguishobjects clearly because of the dim, gray light, until Mr. Peterslaunched the dory, pulling out of the cove with a steady stroke as if toshow that the loss of a breakfast was not sufficient to turn him fromhis purpose.
Half an hour later the lamp was extinguished, and the keeper and hisyoung assistant set about the daily routine of making ready for anothernight. The work was considerably more than half completed when the voiceof the cook sounded impatiently from the kitchen, as he summoned them tobreakfast.
"This is one of the mornin's when I reckon we can't afford to loitermany seconds," Captain Eph said grimly, as he began to descend thestairs, Sidney following close at his heels, and when the two were inthe kitchen, the old keeper asked as if in surprise:
"Where's Sammy? Didn't he hear you call?"
"He went off without his breakfast," Uncle Zenas replied in a tone ofirritation.
"What's the matter?" Captain Eph asked as if wholly ignorant of what hadtaken place in the kitchen. "Ain't sick, is he?"
"He's pig-headed, that's what's the matter with him. He's next door tocrazy, countin' on goin' alone to the wreck, an' I told him plainly thatI wouldn't countenance sich foolishness by givin' him anythin' to eattill breakfast was ready. Then he rose right up in the air, an' startedoff empty-handed; but if he ain't sorry 'twixt now an' noon, I'm missin'my guess."
"Dear, dear, but I'm sorry!" Captain Eph exclaimed. "Sammy has got itinter his head that he can get enough from the wreck to go a long waystoward buildin' a motor boat, an' he'll work like a tiger, savin' stuff,never thinkin' that he stands a good chance of makin' himself sick byfoolin' 'round while his stomach is empty."
Sidney fancied that he saw an expression of regret on the face of thecook; but decided that he had been mistaken, when Uncle Zenas saidsharply:
"I ain't responsible for what he does in the way of foolishness, an' ifit's his desire to go off before breakfast is ready, he'll have to takethe consequences."
The keeper did not linger over his breakfast; as soon as the meal hadbeen eaten he hurried back to the lantern, and, as a matter of course,Sidney joined him there without delay, the two working industriously andin silence until everything had been put in proper order.
Not until then did Captain Eph venture a remark, by saying as he lookedtoward the east, where could be seen a portion of the wreck:
"I'm allowin' that Sammy won't be able to put in a full day's work. Thewind seems to be haulin' 'round, an' before noon the sea will be runnin'so high that he can't do anythin' in the way of strippin' the hulk."
"Can you see him?" Sidney asked.
"Not without the glasses. Run down an' get 'em, Sonny. We may as wellwatch him, as to sit here twirlin' our thumbs."
The lad obeyed promptly; but no sign of the amateur wrecker could beseen, and Captain Eph said as he turned to gaze westward:
"The hulk lays in sich a manner that we couldn't hope to see him, unlesshe was aloft. Hello, here comes a cat-boat from the shore, an' itwouldn't surprise me a little bit if the tinker Sammy talked aboutyesterday was comin' after that 'ere motor."
Because it was the first time since he landed on the ledge that he hadseen a sail coming toward the light, Sidney gazed at it eagerly, untilCaptain Eph said:
"There's no use strainin' your eyes, Sonny, for it'll be a full hourbefore she gets anywhere near, with this wind. I reckon we'd better godown to the shore an' see the motor, for it ain't likely the tinker willcare about stayin' here any very great while."
"Shall we let him take it before Mr. Peters comes back?" Sidney asked insurprise.
"Why not? When a man comes as far as he has while a storm seems to bebrewin', it would kind'er be hard lines to hold him because Sammy wasoff wreckin'. We'll load on the motor as soon as it can be done, an'send him back while the weather is decent, else he might be on our handsquite a spell. People can't get out here at this time of year jest whenthe fancy strikes 'em."
Although the motor was not particularly heavy, Captain Eph and Sidneysoon came to understand that it would be quite a difficult task to getit down to the cove where it might be put aboard the boat, for thejagged rocks presented most serious obstacles.
However, the old keeper set about the task with a will, and by the timethe stranger had run into the cove the work was well advanced.
"I allowed that you'd be wantin' to put about as soon as might be, owin'to the looks of the weather, so Sonny an' I have been at work gettin'this 'ere thing where it could be handled. I reckon this is what you'vecome after," and the keeper pointed to the motor.
"Yes, that's what brought me out here, though I wish now I'd staid athome, for t
he wind is likely to blow pretty fresh before I can getback," the machinist replied as he made his boat fast to the ways, andbegan to make a critical inspection of the motor.
"Well, what about it?" Captain Eph asked after it seemed as if thenewcomer must have made himself acquainted with every portion of themachinery. "Think you can put it in shape?"
"Sure," was the confident reply. "It hasn't been hurt any to speak of,an' I can have it runnin' in a couple of days. Where's the man who madethe trade with me?"
The keeper explained why Mr. Peters was absent and before he was at anend Sidney cried:
"He's coming now; there is the dory!"
Both the men looked up quickly, and then it was that Captain Eph criedexcitedly:
"That's our dory, sure enough; but she's empty! Went adrift I reckon,an' Sammy is in the biggest kind of luck because of his fiddlin' 'round'bout the motor, else he'd be likely to stay on the wreck quite a spell,seein's we couldn't go after him. Say, Mister, I reckon you won't kickagainst pickin' our boat up, eh?" and the keeper turned to themachinist, who replied in a not particularly cheerful tone:
"Of course I'm bound to do that much, seein's you're in a pickle; but Idon't like the idea of loafin' out here any longer than is necessary,for my boat ain't overly handy in a heavy sea, such as we're likely tohave precious soon."
"Pick up the dory, an' we'll help you put the motor aboard before goin'after Sammy."
The machinist set off at once, refusing any assistance from Captain Eph,and ten minutes later he returned with the dory in tow. The boat washalf laden with blocks and tackle which had evidently been taken fromthe wreck, and both pairs of oars were lying on top of the cargo.
When the runaway craft had been hauled up on the rocks beyond reach ofthe tide, and unloaded, the old keeper and Sidney set about carrying outtheir part of the bargain; but nearly an hour was spent before the motorhad been stowed aboard the cat-boat to the satisfaction of allconcerned.
While the visitor was working his boat out of the cove, Captain Eph saidto Sidney:
"Run into the kitchen an' get your coat. Tell Uncle Zenas why we'regoin' out, an' skip lively, for Sammy won't have any idea the tinker washere jest when we most needed him, an' will be in a terrible stew,thinkin' there's no way for him to get off the shoal."
Sidney obeyed promptly; but it was necessary to answer Uncle Zenas'eager questions, and fully five minutes more were spent before therescuers could set off.
The cook came down to the cove before the dory had been pushed out, andthe expression on his face told that he was very anxious regarding thesafety of the first assistant.
"You ought'er started the very minute the dory was picked up, EphraimDowns!" he cried. "It ain't no ways certain that the poor fellow didn'ttumble out of the boat, an' has been swimmin' 'round ever since!"
"I'll go bail that Sammy never tumbled over-board," Captain Eph repliedcheerily as he pulled the dory around until she was headed toward theeast. "He's too good a sailor to do a trick like that; but I reckon hehasn't been any too comfortable in mind since the boat drifted away."
Then, when they were beyond sound of Uncle Zenas' voice, the old keepermuttered, as if to convince himself:
"Of course nothin' has happened to Sammy, beyond losin' the boat; but Ido wish Uncle Zenas wouldn't do quite so much croakin'. Jest because hewas set agin the wreckin', he'll be conjurin' up all sorts of terriblethings that might have happened, an' Sammy won't have the pleasantesttime that ever was, when he gets back."
"How do you suppose the dory got adrift?" Sidney asked, not knowing whatelse to say, and beginning to feel a bit nervous.
"That's what beats me. I'd never thought Sammy could be so careless, butit seems that he was."
Then Captain Eph pulled vigorously and in silence, Sidney steering tothe best of his ability with one of the heavy oars, and the little craftrose and fell with an uneasy motion on the rising sea.
"There's the wreck!" Sidney cried as he swung the dory around, andCaptain Eph turned quickly to look, as he asked huskily:
"See anythin' of Sammy?"
"He must be under the forecastle deck working, and perhaps doesn't knowthat the boat went adrift," Sidney replied, as he searched in vain withhis eyes for some sign of the first assistant.
There was an expression of deepest anxiety on Captain Eph's face as helabored yet more energetically at the oars; but not a word was spokenuntil the dory was as near the hulk as was safe while the waves wererunning so high.
Then it was the old keeper shouted again and again at the full strengthof his lungs, Sidney growing pale with fear as the hail remainedunanswered.
"He ain't there, Sonny, he ain't there!" Captain Eph cried in a tearfultone as he turned toward the lad.
"But where _can_ he be?" Sidney cried in an agony of fear.
"The good Lord knows, an' we'll pray that He may guide us toward him!"the keeper said as he raised his sou'wester reverentially. "It's ourbusiness to find out what has happened, if so be we can. I reckon we'dbest pull 'round to the other side of the hulk, an' if needs be I'll goaboard."
"Are you afraid he may have got hurt, an' can't answer the hail?" Sidneyasked in a tremulous voice.
"There's somethin' wrong, an' we'll hope that he's on board, with thebreath of life yet in his body."
Then Captain Eph swung the dory around, and, ordering Sidney to take apair of oars, made ready to board the hulk on the northerly side.
"Pull in till I sing out, an' then back water the best you know how," hesaid sharply. "It's a risky piece of business to board her with a ladlike you at the oars; but I'd take bigger chances by a good bit, ratherthan go away without searchin' this 'ere hulk."
It was no more than natural that the lad should be frightened by themuttered words, and he was trembling violently as he obeyed the command.
"Fair an' softly, Sonny!" Captain Eph cried. "Don't get worked up overwhat may all turn out to be the simplest kind of a simple matter, an'keep your wits about you. Now! Back water for all you're worth!"
As he spoke the keeper had leaped for the shattered timbers of the hulk,and not daring to turn his head in order to see if a landing had beeneffected safely, Sidney threw all his strength on the oars, until theburden on his mind was lifted by hearing Captain Eph's cheery cry, whichtold that no accident had befallen him:
"Way enough, Sonny! Hold her as she is a minute!"
Sidney did not dare venture to turn his head lest the wind should swingthe little craft around where the waves might throw her against thehulk; but worked at the oars to hold her as nearly in one position aspossible, until he heard Captain Eph cry again:
"Now pull in, Sonny; but stand by to stop her mighty sudden when you getthe word. Way enough! Keep her steady! One more stroke! Back! Back thebest you know how!" and at the instant Sidney put all his strength onthe oars, the dory rocked to and fro violently as Captain Eph leapedaboard.
An instant later and the keeper was pulling the little craft around,while Sidney clambered astern to his former seat.
"You didn't find anything, sir?" the lad asked timidly.
"No, Sonny, meanin' that Sammy wasn't there; but he's left signs enoughto show he made into a raft sich timbers as he could get at, which givesus the biggest kind of a hope, for I'm allowin' he was on the raft whenthe dory went adrift."
"Would he be carried out to sea, sir?"
"This wind ought'er sent him toward the mainland, an' it's in thatdirection we must look for him."
It was quite natural Sidney should suppose Captain Eph would set off onthe search without delay; but to his surprise the keeper ordered him tosteer for the ledge, and at the same time keep a sharp lookout foranything in the shape of a raft.
"Why are we going back to the light, sir? Do you think he may havedrifted in there?"
"Not a bit of it, Sonny. He must have pulled the raft clear of thewreck, an' then, when well off the shoal, stepped on it to make some ofthe timbers fast. In which case the wind would take him clear of Carys'Ledg
e."
"Then why don't we pull in the direction you think he may have gone?"
Instead of answering the question, Captain Eph asked abruptly: "Thinkyou'd have any trouble in lightin' the lamp an' startin' the clock,Sonny?"
"I could do that much all right, I am positive."
"Then I'm goin' to leave you in charge while Uncle Zenas an' I go afterSammy. It ain't anyways likely we shall be away till after sunset; butthere's allers the chance; an' no one can say how fast his raft may betravelin'."
"You don't want me in the boat with you?" Sidney asked tremulously.
"No, Sonny, an' for two mighty good reasons. The first is that it'sgoin' to blow hard inside of an hour, an' I'll need Uncle Zenas at onepair of oars. Then agin, the place is not to be left alone, no matterwhat straits we are in. Sammy would be the first to say we mustn't tryto help him if it can't be done without takin' the risk of showin' nolight at sunset. You'll be safe on the ledge, an' that's what I'mthinkin' about."
The temptation to beg that he might go to the rescue with Captain Eph,leaving the cook to care for the light, was very great; but he succeededin holding his peace, knowing that it was not for him, at such a time,to make any change in the plan the keeper had formed.
"I'm allowin' we may have to pull eight or ten miles before catchin' thepoor fellow, an' it'll be hard work in a heavy sea, so Uncle Zenas mustdo his share."
It was not necessary to spend any time warning the second assistant ofwhat had been learned. Uncle Zenas was at the head of the cove when theypulled in, and in the fewest possible words Captain Eph made himacquainted with the situation.
"Get in, Uncle Zenas. Sonny will take care of the light, if so be we'recalled on to go further than now seems likely."
"An' I sent the poor fellow off without any breakfast!" the cook saidtearfully, as he clambered aboard the boat with a certain eagernesswhich told how anxious he was to have a share in the rescue. "If I hadonly been half-way decent when he asked for somethin' to eat!"
"Keep your upper lip stiff, Sonny!" Captain Eph cried as he pulled thedory around. "By stayin' to care for the light you're doin' a good dealmore towards findin' Sammy, than if you went with us in the boat. Youcan watch us best by goin' inter the lantern with the glasses."
"Be sure to get your dinner, Sonny," Uncle Zenas cried in a mournfultone. "Everything is on the stove, an' what you can't eat had better beput back in the pantry. If I could only give poor Sammy his share an' myown with it, how relieved I'd be!"
By this time the dory was out of the cove, with both men at the oars,and Sidney noted, before turning to obey Captain Eph's command, that theboat was headed southwest, leaving the ledge behind her in a livelyfashion because of the strong wind, which helped her along as much ifnot more than the oars.
Now that he was alone--alone on the ledge beyond sight of land--Sidneyfound it very difficult to keep the tears from his eyes; but he made abrave effort, and went into the tower to do as Uncle Zenas had biddenhim.
He had no desire for food--could not have eaten a mouthful save after areal exertion; but the keepers would need it when they returned,therefore it must be cared for in such a manner that it would beappetizing.
By thus looking forward to the time when the searchers might return,Sidney provoked the alarming question as to whether they would ever comeback. Captain Eph had predicted that a storm was near at hand, and evenif they did not lose their lives, it was well within the possibilitiesthat many days might elapse before he saw them again.
Then it was that Sidney gave way to tears, feeling as if he had beenabandoned--left to die on the desolate ledge; but after thus yielding tohis sorrow for ten minutes or more, he resolutely put from him allforebodings, as he said aloud:
"I've been left in charge, and if it hadn't been for my being here UncleZenas couldn't have gone to help Captain Eph pull the boat. I'm not ababy; but if I don't mind my eye the keepers will have good reason forthinking I am one."
Suddenly the thought came into his mind that he had missed the chance ofwatching the dory as it sped before the wind on its errand of mercy,and, running up-stairs at full speed, he threw open that window in thewatch-room which gave toward the south.
The rescuers had made such good speed that he could barely distinguishthe boat with the naked eye, but by the aid of the glasses he saw thatboth men were rowing strongly and steadily, as if knowing exactly atwhat point the missing man could be found.
Search as he might, it was impossible to see anything floating on thesea. If Mr. Peters had been carried away by the raft, it must have beenat an early hour in the forenoon, otherwise it should have been possibleto see him.
Sidney watched the rapidly retreating dory as long as it was possible todistinguish the forms of her crew, and then, with a lump in his throatwhich threatened to choke him, he went into the kitchen.
Here he cared for the food, replenished the fire, swept the floor, andworked at whatsoever he could find for his hands to do until the roomwas seemingly as neat and tidy as ever it had been under Uncle Zenas'supervision.
It seemed to him that he must have been at work a full hour, and yetwhen he looked at the clock the hands were but ten minutes farther ontheir journey around the dial than when he began.
Again he went into the watch-room; but now it was impossible to see eventhe dory, and he felt more forsaken than before.
Uncle Zenas was too good a housekeeper to leave very much work undone atthat time in the day, and, search as he might, Sidney could find nothingwith which to keep his hands busy.
With such a weight of sorrow in his heart he could not read, and he wentto and fro between the lantern and the kitchen, hardly conscious of whathe did. Again and again he searched the surface of the heaving waterswith the glasses, but without seeing the smallest object which his fancycould shape into a raft or a boat.
When the clock in the kitchen struck the hour of four, it was as if hisheart ceased beating, for he understood that even if the dory shouldcome in sight immediately, it would be impossible for the keepers toreach the ledge before sunset, and he felt positive they would neverreturn. He would be the sole occupant of that lonely tower until theinspector found an opportunity of visiting Carys' Ledge.
The wind was increasing in force, as he could understand by the howlingand shrieking around the lantern, while his eyes told him that the seawas running higher than at any time since the storm which had wreckedthe _Nautilus_.
Suppose the keepers should return at the earliest possiblemoment--suppose the dory was even then headed toward the light? The menmight not be able to make a landing on the ledge, and he could doabsolutely nothing to aid them!
Five o'clock!
He went into the lantern ready to light the lamp at the exact moment ofsunset. He was surrounded by the angry waters, which were creepingslowly but surely toward the tower, and there was nothing in sight togive him courage!